Today, I’m excited to publish the first in a series of weekly YouTube videos from Photography Life! This is something Nasim and I have planned for a while, and circumstances finally conspired to make it a reality. We’ll film everything in 4K: tutorials and case studies, with the same high standards as our articles. For the first video, I wanted to do an introduction to macro photography, since that’s reason I became a photographer in the first place.
Hopefully, if you’re interested in learning macro photography or taking your current skills to the next level, you’ll find it helpful. We also plan to make more advanced videos going forward, including on macro photography, but I thought it was important to start with something fundamental. Without further ado, here it is (you can select 4K from the menu if it doesn’t appear automatically, and your internet connection is fast enough):
Resources mentioned in the video:
Also, check out the complete macro photography article on Photography Life for additional tips you might find useful.
And if you enjoyed the video – it would mean a lot to both me and Nasim if you decided to subscribe. If we can grow this channel to even a fraction of photographylife.com’s size, it will become a sustainable project on its own before long. By clicking this link, YouTube automatically asks if you want to subscribe to our channel. Or, you can view the channel here without subscribing.
Even more importantly, if you have any feedback, please let me know in the comments section below. I’ll take any suggestions into consideration. I’m currently planning to create a mix of tutorials (in the style of this video) as well as field-based case studies. Many of the specific topics are still up in the air, but I’m determined to meet the one-per-week pace. So, you’ll see something soon either way!
I loved this video, i’ve Played a little in macro, but with little idea of the science behind it. Thanks Spencer.
Thanks for a great introduction to macro photography. This is an area I have no experience and this video and many more to come will be very handy. Again, many thanks!
Victor
Well Done Spencer.
Your pointers and explainations were spot on, easy to understand and implement.
Thank you, Thank you.
Feedback: you are mostly repeating what you’ve said in the article. I find technical discussions being easier to read than to watch in the video. I think it would be far better if you show in a video how the actual process is taking place, from setting up the tripod, setting up the camera and flash, positioning, the actual shooting and also post processing.
Spencer, congratulations on beginning this new series of videos. As far as this first one is concerned, I was very impressed with your delivery and how you clearly and accurately expressed the talking points, using the correct terminology. It was VERY educational as well as easy to understand. Best of luck on the future videos.
Awesome, John, I’m glad you liked it, and thanks for the feedback!
Thank you – right up my alley.
Well presented.
I use a tripod when bee’s are around the flowers and pre focus on a interresting flower.
Normally sooner or later a bee will go there and i have got some brilliant shots this way.
Just like fishing –
That’s a very good method, thanks for adding this. Bugs do often have a favorite plant or perch that they return to. If you’re lucky, you can frame a great photo with the right background and just wait for the subject to appear. It’s also a more meditative method than the one I tend to do!
Hi Spencer,
I appreciated your down to earth style of making a video. SO many videos I have watched in the past have moved way too quickly and use screen shots of computer screens that are never, ever great even if magnified. I like to open a microsoft document and start and stop the video throughout and take notes. Its so helpful to refer to it later. I don’t have a macro yet,but looking to add it to the arsenal of lenses I own with my Nikon d750.
Your voice is soft and easy to understand and I learned alot about macro today that I am eager to pursue more than ever before because I understand it better. Im hopping over to the B&H site to purchase a diffuser. I laughed out loud when I saw your gaffer tape version. Have you heard of Fuzzy Alan Duenkel? He is in the Heavy Light FB pages and he is an incredible portrait photographer because of his lifght diffusing techniques.
You are headed in the right direction. I subscribed! Icant wait to hear more!
Sincerely,
Jill Bergeron
Jill, best of luck when you start macro photography. There’s so much to like about it, and I’m glad the video gave you some inspiration along the way.
I hadn’t heard of Alan Duenkel, but you’re right, he has some great portraits with very impressive lighting. Macro photography with a flash is a lot like portrait photography in some ways, especially the necessity of good light. It really makes or breaks a photo. The homemade diffuser I showed in the video is an example of that – I love the light it produces, even though it looks so ridiculously haphazard.
And thank you for your feedback, as well as subscribing!
As I am not a beginner……I thought your video was concise and well presented………..Kudos
Thanks, Terry, happy to hear you liked it.
Hi Spencer. Did not read other comments because everyone has an opinion most are off to others. I thought well done. Not to fast and with plenty of GOOD info. Thanks, learned a lot.
I’m glad you liked the video, Dan, thank you for the feedback!
Really well done Spencer. Thanks. I’m a beginner at this and working with a limited budget, so I’m always interested in your advice on gear. Is there a lens you particularly favor for macro ? And is there a Tamron lens that’s good enough in your view?
Thank you, Dick! My recommendation is just to get any macro lens 100mm or longer (90mm or so like some lenses is fine too). If you’re working on a budget, get the longest 1:1 lens that fits your price range. Tamron has a 180mm macro lens, although it’s discontinued for some reason, so you may not be able to find a copy easily. It’s also more expensive than some third-party 100mm macro lenses, which generally offer the best overall value. No real qualms about using a third-party option here. All macro lenses that I’ve ever seen have amazing image quality.